California Certificate of Authority - Foreign California Corporation (2024)

A California foreign corporation is a corporation that does business both in the state it was originally formed in and California. All foreign corporations must register paperwork with California to legally conduct business. In order to register as a California foreign corporation, you’ll need to file a Statement of Designation by Foreign Corporation with the California Secretary of State. You’ll also need to include the certificate of good standing from your home state. This costs $100 to file.

You can follow our comprehensive guide below to register as a foreign corporation on your own. If you’d rather skip the headache, we can handle the paperwork for you.

How to Register as a Foreign Corporation in California

To operate in California as a foreign corporation, your business needs to go through a process called foreign qualification. This lets California know that you are legally operating in its borders.

Unlike simply forming a new business in California, foreign qualification keeps all your business information the same. It simply expands your legal operating jurisdiction. The steps are a lot like registering a new business for the first time, but with some of the fat trimmed. For example, you don’t have to write corporate bylaws or register an EIN.

Here are the steps for registering as a foreign corporation in California.

You will need to register your business name in California. Just having it registered in your home state does not mean it is available in California. You can conduct a free business name search to make sure your corporation name is available. If it’s not, you’ll need to brainstorm a new name that is available but is still connected to your current business enough to not confuse your brand.

Not quite ready to register as a foreign business? You can reserve your business name in California for just $10.

Want to make sure your business name is used only by you? Consider getting a federal trademark to secure the name in your industry.

A California registered agent is a person or business that accepts legal mail on behalf of your business. The registered agent needs to be physically located in California during regular business hours. Since you have a different home state, it’s unlikely you can be your own registered agent.

The good news? We offer comprehensive registered agent service in every state. So no matter how many states you want to expand into, you can use just one registered agent and keep things simple.

Once your business is legal in the new state, you’ll want to be ready to make sales. Forming your business identity, or the way you present yourself to your potential clients, can prepare customers for your upcoming products and services.

Maybe you’ve never started getting your business out there. Now’s a great chance to start a business website or get a custom business email address.

Maybe you already have a digital presence, but now you want to make it easier for out-of-state people to find you, and start building awareness and a trustworthy reputation in your new territory. Consider getting a phone service that has the local area code or a local business address to use on documents where possible. Either way, make sure your business has a way to market itself in the new state, especially if you are not opening a brick-and-mortar.

The certificate of good standing from your home state must be submitted alongside the Statement of Designation by Foreign Corporation. It costs $100 to file.

Your application must include:

• Corporation name
• Corporation name as it is written on your certificate of good standing, if different
• State where corporation was formed
• Registered agent address and name
• Corporate Addresses
• A signature by an officer of the foreign corporation

Within 90 days of registering, you’ll need to file an Initial Statement of Information to California Secretary of State. This costs $25.

After that, you will need to file a Statement of Information annually. Your due date is the last day of the month you originally registered in. It costs $25 to file.

All California corporations pay a minimum of $800 in taxes. The exact amount depends on if you’re an S-Corp (1.5% tax rate) or a C-Corp (8.85% tax rate) and how much you make in sales. You’ll need to file your return with the Franchise Tax Board. You can register by creating an account with MyFTB.

Northwest Can Register Your California Foreign Corporation

If doing things on your own sounds overwhelming, boring, or generally like not a good use of your time, we’re ready to help. Our foreign qualification package is $225 + state fees. This includes:

• Registering your business as a California Foreign Corporation. We’ll file your paperwork and let you know when it’s approved.
• Serving as your business’ California Registered Agent. We can be your RA in as many states as you want to expand into.
• Sending reminders for your California annual report. We can even file this for you. We’ll send you a reminder about the report 90 days before they’re due, and you can either have us file for you or opt out of the service.
• Launching your business identity. We’ll get you a digital presence, including a business email address, phone service, and mail forwarding. Plus, we’ll put together a custom website with a domain, web hosting, and security in place. These will all be free for 90 days.

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